SAN ANTONIO -- For two full days there was a look of self-disgust and acute determination in Klay Thompson's eyes, tugging at the corners of his mouth and, really, masking his entire face.

It drifted away Wednesday night, clearing after Thompson delivered a half for the ages and, ultimately, a victory to the Warriors.

The second-year guard summoned a huge and redemptive performance, game highs in points (34) and rebounds (14), to push Warriors to a 100-91 win over San Antonio in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, squaring the series as it shifts to Oracle Arena on Friday.

The Warriors faced yet another furious comeback, but this one never reached the game-swiping level as that of Game 1. The Spurs hacked at a 20-point deficit but never got closer than six.

The cushion was built on Thompson's assertiveness and deadeye shooting while playing all but 84 seconds of the game.

"I feel better now,'' Thompson said while dressing and preparing to walk to the postgame podium. "A lot better, actually.''

Despondent after fouling out of Game 1 and watching the Warriors capitulate, Thompson raced out for Game 2 with a mission. His father, former NBA player Mychal Thompson, was critical of his son for committing cheap fouls. Klay also blamed himself, wrongfully but admirably, for the Game 1 loss.

Game 2 provided an opportunity for vindication.

"My dad is my biggest critic,'' Klay said. "But every single day he tells me to stay out of foul trouble, so I probably gave him a hemorrhage the other night.

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"I thought I did a good job tonight of not making dumb fouls like I did in Game 1. I just tried to play as hard as I could.''

Mission spectacularly accomplished.

Mimicking the kind of shooting displays we've often seen from teammate Stephen Curry, Thompson scored 29 first-half points -- 17 of which came in the second quarter and included 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

Thompson entered the locker room with a franchise postseason record seven 3-pointers -- with only one miss from deep.

It was a stunning display insofar as the sports world has been occupied with Curry's long-distance shooting.

"It was polite of them to at least take turns and not both be on fire on the same night,'' said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich through a layer of sarcasm thick enough to hide an apartment building.

"I told (Thompson) at halftime that it's in the discussion (of) one of the greatest halves ever,' '' Warriors coach Mark Jackson said.

"Not only what he did offensively but what he did defensively.''

Thompson chased San Antonio point guard Tony Parker all over the court, as he had in Game 1, and he also at times faced down dangerous wings Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. He was whistled for only three fouls.

But it was Thompson's offense that sucked the energy out of the sellout crowd (18,581). He made 13 of 26 shots, including 8 of 9 from downtown.

This was the kind of game Thompson needed for peace of mind, to allow him to absolve himself for his early and damaging exit in Game 1.

"It was tough losing Game 1 because I felt like I was barely out there due to foul trouble, even though I played 32 minutes,'' Thompson said. "But being in foul trouble and watching from the bench is one of the hardest things to do. I thought I showed I learned from that.''

The Spurs now have a problem. They entered Game 1 worried about Curry and couldn't stop him, entered Game 2 worried about Curry and got drilled by Thompson.

Where do they go from here?

"Klay was unbelievable,'' Popovich said, now serious. "A lot of those shots were tough. Some of them were wide open because of mistakes, but others were difficult shots, either contested or off-balance. He knocked them down.

"That's what the playoffs are about.''

The Warriors are learning that. They learned it the hard way in Game 1 and the happy way in Game 2. The temperature of this series just went up.

"Three and a half hours in the air,'' Curry said, anticipating the flight to Oakland. "It's a lot better to go home with a win.''